Phoenix Books has been a SLO icon for 43 years. Here’s how it not only survived — but thrived

These days, many shoppers consider themselves too crunched for time to simply browse in an antique shop or secondhand store.

For many, that translates to less leisurely wandering between aisles and shelf stacks in search of hidden gems and unexpected treasures — except, it seems, at Phoenix Books.

In an era when many used book stores have closed their doors for good, Phoenix Books in San Luis Obispo has not only survived for more than 40 years, but its owners have pivoted to embrace the technologies that wiped out much of the brick-and-mortar competition.

It is one of the last remaining shops in the county filled to the brim with used books, magazines, knickknacks, some artwork and other prize finds, much of which is on display on the shop’s Instagram page.

A quick scroll through the business’ feed on Tuesday showed everything from “Asimov’s Chronology of the World” and “Love from Bluey” to a “Guide to Troubled Birds,” “Star Wars Last Shot,” “Rob Ross Scratch Artist” and “The Drunken Botanist.”

So how did a store that all but requires shoppers to slow down and dig through its eclectic wares stay afloat through changing times?

“It just takes some good, old-fashioned hard work,” owner Evan Miller-Donnelly told The Tribune. “It’s that simple. It’s always been about the books.”

How did Phoenix Books get its start?

Miller-Donnelly’s father, Bruce Miller, launched Phoenix Books in San Luis Obispo in November 1981.

That thrill of the hunt and his need to support a family drew Miller, an aspiring writer and painter, into selling used books, Miller-Donnelly said.

“I think Dad really wanted to be an artist — maybe run away to Paris and just paint outdoor landscapes,” Miller-Donnelly said. “But with two children, he decided to pursue another one of his passions that might help put food on the table, and that was the world of books.”

Secondhand books were familiar turf for his dad.

His grandmother was a Pismo Beach librarian, Miller-Donnelly said, and while in school, his father trained with “the great Moe Moskowitz.” Moskowitz was the iconic founder of Moe’s Books, a beloved shop selling new, used and antique books in Berkeley that is still a go-to stop for book lovers around the world.

”Moe was definitely his mentor,” Miller-Donnelly said. “Dad modeled Phoenix Books after Moe’s design.”

Miller “wanted Phoenix to have a great atmosphere like some of the classic Bay Area bookshops,” his son said.

“But, also great books,” Miller-Donnelly added. “That was key.”

So, that’s what happened.

For the first few years, the store was located on Broad Street, next to where the former Big Sky restaurant was.

“The move to 990 Monterey St. was a mixture of a few ideas, including expansion of the business, a more optimal location downtown and a desire to be next to Boo Boo Records,” Miller-Donnelly said.

Phoenix has been in that prime, two-story space — with its big, angular awnings announcing the bookstore’s name and “new, used and rare books” — ever since.

Miller did not respond to multiple Tribune requests for comment on the story.

Second-hand SLO bookstore has built a devoted following

Through the years, Phoenix Books has managed to build a devoted following.

In that time, loyal customers have also discovered there’s a skill to getting top enjoyment from the treasure hunt that requires searching through its often haphazardly stacked shelves.

“The books can be overwhelming, so it has to be approached Iike a wedding cake, one taste at a time,” Cambria resident Jennifer Smith said. “I’d start in one corner, one small section at a time.”

For fans like Kristen Barnhart of Templeton, the bookstore reminds her of her time working at a library — and is something she’s “deeply missed” since retiring.

“First there is that moment of entry when I just stop and breathe it all in,” Barnhart said.

Others like Jane Mettee of Cambria described it as “a candy store for bibliophiles.”

“It’s one of our favorite places in SLO County,” Mettee said.

Retired yarn-store owner Oz Barron described it more as “a real old-school bookstore.”

“Very cheap books to more pricey books across a wide range of subjects,” Barron said. “It’s got that real ‘bookstore vibe’ — a tad chaotic, a bit eccentric and you know you’re in a real, local, independently owned shop.”

“I go in there on occasion to browse books, but often times I would just go in to look at the paintings hung on the wall above the book stacks opposite the cashier,” he said.

Artist Jan French of Los Osos said simply “the adventure” at Phoenix Books is what draws her there — the thrill of the hunt time and time again.

Bookstore made online changes, stayed strong during pandemic, owner says

Today, Miller-Donnelly is in charge.

The 40-year-old grew up at Phoenix Books, and continues to manage the business in a similar way to how his father did: “As a book scout as much as a book dealer,” he said.

“But I’ve also brought in fresh blood to help reinvigorate the business,” Miller-Donnelly added. “While I still kind of think of the Phoenix as Dad’s store, we’ve transferred ownership to me. I’ve been at it for almost a decade now.”

While much remains the same — the aroma that announces to all that this business sells used books, the packed shelves stacked to the ceiling, the thrill of the hunt for the perfect book that so entranced Bruce Miller decades ago — Miller-Donnelly has kept up with the cyber times.

“Dad created a great physical bookstore, and I’ve worked hard to create an online book store while maintaining the brick and mortar,” he said. “I’ve also grown the business’ online operation and helped start another brick-and-mortar bookstore in Atascadero, The Book Odyssey.”

That shop, located at 5975 Traffic Way, is owned by Kristi Crawford now, though she noted Miller-Donnelly, her boyfriend, still helps out there.

There’s no doubt there have been some tough times.

“While competition from the big-box bookstores has been a challenge, it was largely one my father faced,” Miller-Donnelly said. “Now, add on to that the internet and pandemic, and I’ve had my own challenges to grow the online business and keep prices near to Amazon’s to stay competitive.”

That included streamlining the online portion of the business so that goods could be sold on multiple seller platforms, making for a “meaner and leaner” business overall, he said.

“So, the good news is that the internet and pandemic has not doomed all the bookstores,” Miller-Donnelly said. “There has been a renaissance within the book business as the next generations discover a love of books.”

He continued: “We hear this every day in the store. People love books! They are repositories of knowledge. They will never go out of style.”

For more information

Phoenix Books is located at 990 Monterey St. in San Luis Obispo.

Its hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday.

For more information call 805-543-3591 or visit the business’ Instagram page @phoenixbooksslo.